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my-mt-heart · 7 months

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Where's Daryl?

This was very difficult to write. It opened up a lot of old wounds for me, so if you read this, thank you. If my thoughts on this show haven’t been your cup of tea, that’ll most definitely be the case here as well, so maybe just move along. ***Trigger warning for discussion of childhood abuse***

For about a year and a half, Caryl fans asked Where's Carol? as a pointed reminder that the spinoff was always meant to be hers just as much as it was Daryl’s. Even though she's back now, her fans didn't always know she would be (nor did the EP's 🙄) so her absence during filming and promotion of the first season was a heavy burden to bear. The irony is, though “Daryl Dixon” sticks out like a sore thumb in that ridiculous font, he's the one who feels absent sometimes, as if important parts of his character development were lost when he washed ashore while other parts come and go as the plot demands.

Zabel talks about swapping Daryl's iconic vest for "old man" suspenders as a matter of pragmaticism i.e. they were the only clean clothes available. Norman says it was a choice he wanted for some unclear reason, but neither of them seem to consider the intelligence of their audience, particularly Carylers, to see it more symbolically. The costume change is our visual reminder that Daryl isn't himself. In some scenes he's chattier than he should be, far more trusting of strangers with personal details, and far more theatrical. Then in others, the differences are even more alarming. He calls a child cruel names, puts his hands on him, and feels conflicted about returning home to his family, to the woman he said he loved.

I mentally prepared myself for retcons, but the one I'm struggling with a lot right now, which I haven't seen anyone bring up yet, is the retcon of Daryl’s childhood abuse. Daryl tells Isabelle that he and Merle had to take apart engines and if they couldn't put them back together, their dad wouldn't let them have dinner. It's a milder version of the stories the scars on his back tell us, though I can buy Daryl omitting the worst of it like he did in the pilot. What I can't buy is Daryl saying his dad was "hardly ever" around and emphasizing it as the main source of his pain growing up. It feels contradictory for one thing. When we see Daryl's scars for the first time in S3 of the flagship show, it's implied Daryl was trapped in an environment that enabled his dad to physically hurt him often. Presumably that's why Merle felt guilty about leaving him behind. The revelation also seems like it's only intended to highlight the consequences of an absent father figure, explaining Daryl's fear of not making it home, but also justifying his "close" bond with Laurent. The best stories allow a character's emotions to drive the plot, but this just does the opposite, twisting Daryl's backstory to fit the current narrative.

Daryl's backstory made so many people root for him in the first place. It allowed Carol to see him when nobody else in the group could. It helped me process my own childhood trauma. The ways I got to watch him overcome his violent past gave me hope that masculinity could mean more than what I grew up around—more than anger, shouting, and swinging fists. Daryl taught me that men could still be tender, kind, and loving even if those closest to them in their childhood never showed them how. I imagine Daryl's representation has been important to boys and men too, specifically to those who were afraid to speak up about their abuse because of the stigma around it. The implications of this scene may not be easily noticeable to some, but they are to me, and I'm deeply offended by it.

I’ve talked at length on this blog about how it takes a village to make or break a show, though it’s usually the showrunner who has to answer for it. I've already mentioned that I do blame Zabel. His knowledge of French history has no value when he obviously didn’t bother to study Daryl’s history aside from reading old scripts and (maybe) watching the first couple seasons. That's incredibly irresponsible and terrifying for S2. I also blame AMC for their short-sightedness and their determination to save face no matter how much it costs them. I blame Gimple for his pettiness. I blame Greg Nicotero for his insensitivity to Melissa and her fans.

As for Norman, he's hinted very loudly that he wants credit for the show being "different," so in theory he should be prepared to take some of the blame too. I can't name all of the decisions he specifically made, but no matter what they were, I can blame him for not speaking up about the shipbaiting, Daryl's wavering loyalty, and the childhood abuse retcon, all things that hurt his character and hurt the fans. I genuinely don't know what else to think other than Norman didn't give either the consideration they deserve. The show has been treated like nothing more than a vanity project, and it’s unfortunate when you think about what he and AMC had to gain from the original Caryl spinoff.

I love the version of Daryl I knew before this whole mess, I love Carol, and I love the relationship between them. I want them to have the story they deserve in S2. At the moment, I don’t know how to reconcile that with the agony I feel over the damages to half of my two favorite characters. If Carol is going to cross the Atlantic ocean to find Daryl, I want him to be the man who threatened to punch holes in all the boats so she couldn’t leave and the man who told her he loved her before—ironically—leaving himself. I need to hear Daryl admit he hasn't been completely honest with the French characters, not because he was afraid of getting too close to them, but because he didn't want to face the pain of potentially living without Carol and TF. I need to hear him say that he can't be Laurent's father, which is okay because the kid has plenty of other family to take care of him. I need to hear him say, out loud, that he could never love another woman romantically because he's already in love with Carol. That's what I need to feel better about this story. That's where my investment is. I feel like Carol is safe in Melissa's hands, but I don't feel like I have anyone to rely on for Daryl. That’s a big problem because their stories are so intertwined. There’s no Daryl without Carol nor Carol without Daryl. If you ruin one of them, you risk ruining both of them, and that’s a possibility I really can’t bear.

#caryl #carol peletier #melissa mcbride #darylneedscarol #the book of carol #twd caryl

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gingerylangylang1979 · 8 months

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The representation debate.. yes, this is all over the place.

I don't even know if I'm the most intelligent person to start this discussion nor do I have answers. What I do know is there is a debate brewing surrounding Bottoms and queer representation that got me thinking about representation in entertainment in general. I'm not queer but I am a black woman, so that is my frame of reference. I will also preface by saying I haven't seen the film.

Apparently some people are mad that Rachel isn't a lesbian or Jewish but has played multiple characters with those identities. In a plot twist, Emma, a Jewish lesbian cast Rachel in Jewish lesbian roles twice, so she's unbothered. Ayo has played a few queer roles and has been consistently vague about her identity but one could assume from her interviews that she is possibly bi or pansexual. Anyways, it came out that Rachel has/had? a boyfriend and Ayo has/had (maybe they broke up?) a boyfriend and people have been up and arms. Like Ayo's dude/ex-dude? was getting harassed to the point a mutual friend stepped in. I think part of this is people just mad because these women maybe are taken and they can't date them but also mad because they feel the roles should have gone to women who are 100% lesbians. I've read some people mad that they think it's a cop out for the actresses to not be transparent because they are in possibly the biggest lesbian movie for this generation. So I guess the question is what do they owe that community, if anything? Not my community, so I dunno but fascinating to think about what this means culturally.

I get that a community can feel that actors who get roles representing them should be cast with people from that marginalized group being prioritized. It took years for things like black, brown, and yellow face to become taboo, for queer characters to even be a thing, and actors allowed to be out. So it does seem like that work should be graciously granted to people who fit those demographics. Like, all of this is still new and messy in Hollywood so I do feel like some reparations as far as opportunity are due. And Hollywood has failed hard even recently. We've just a few years ago had cases of white actors being greenlit to play Asian characters. And I don't care if the characters were bi-racial, most mixed race Asian people look identifiable as being of Asian ancestry and are viewed as non-white. Like, I don't want to see a white person play a bi-racial black woman. Nope. And don't even get me started on how colorist the industry still is. In 2023 black entertainers still feel the need to bleach their skin, only wear European looking hair, and get nose jobs to get ahead. And the sad thing is, it often works. Even Erykah Badu gave in. So we need more black women who look straight up black to not be sidelined... STILL.

So my next thought is people who would say, but, but POC are playing traditionally white characters. To me it doesn't make a difference if the OG character is white if their specific heritage had nothing to do with the character. And even then, exceptions can be made. British, doesn't have to mean white, for instance, etc., etc. And Hamilton subversively cast POC as American founding fathers.

But anyways, back to Bottoms. Again, I don't have a true dog in this fight except to say I'll just focus on Ayo, because she's a black woman. Honestly, I'm just happy to see her get good roles. I don't care if she is personally queer, if she personally isn't queer as long as she is representing an interesting black woman. I do have stakes in her being into men on The Bear because that's the romance I see brewing regardless of what people think representation wise. Her character could be bi or pan and I would be fine with that but sorry, I can't dismiss what I see as her into Carmy. Not to derail this with my shipper goggles but there is a strong contingent of people deeply invested in seeing Syd be a lesbian and I get it but I think if that's not what is written, it isn't what's written regardless of what representation people want to see.

I dunno, my opinions aren't coherent nor do I think I've figured anything out and am not trying to speak for other communities. I'm just sharing passing thoughts and wanted to get other people's opinions in hopefully a civil discussion.

#ayo edebiri #rachel sennott #emma seligman #bottoms movie 2023 #the bear #sydney adamu #carmy x sydney

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poshmygosh · 3 hours

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Sooo I just watched Challengers and I have so many thoughts!!! Warning: this is a long one..

Honestly, I have seen so many interesting takes on this movie (though I'll mainly be discussing one I've seen a lot that I don't agree with at all) and I figured I'd throw my two cents in there lol.

So first and foremost: Tashi is a vital character to this film, as well as Patrick and Art's relationship as we see it int he future.

I"ve seen so many posts saying that "Patrick and Art should just get together, they're the one's that are really in love" or just overall downplaying the role that Tashi has in the film, I don't know if this is just that thing that some mlm shippers do where they erase the woman in the situation so that can just ship the two men, misogynoir, or something else entirely, but this takes generally doesn't make any sense to me. Obviously Patrick and Art loved each other, even before they met Tashi. They had been best friends for years and their friendship was definitely homoerotic at the LEAST, but the idea that they would have been romantic without her is not true. They had never had any sort of romantic interaction, besides jerking off in a room together in separate beds when they were twelve, until Tashi prompted them too in the hotel. I don't think that would have happened otherwise. Beside the fact I do believe that there was some romantic yearning from both of them at times, they were not in the place to actually explore what that means. Patrick had a girlfriend, Art was clearly not in a place to confront the possibility of a sexual situation between them, and they were headed in two completely different directions in life. Tashi being there with them in that moment in the hotel, with them hanging on to her every word, every command allowed for them to feel comfortable being sexual with each other in that moment. Even if she had left that hotel room and the three of them had never interacted again, the night would have been brushed off as just something they did when they were drunk to hook up with a girl, it wouldn't have amounted to relationship, and even if it had she was still an integral part. She is the catalyst to so much of the tension between them, the sex that they might've shared in that hotel room that night if things had continued, and the sex they share on the tennis court 13 years later.

Another hot take: I do think that Tashi loved both of them at different points of the movie, though she loved tennis most of all.

I've seen some people say that the only real love that exists within the triangle is between Patrick and Art, and that Tashi only loved tennis. While I absolutely agree that tennis was the love of her life, I don't at all think that she never had love for Patrick or Art. One of the reasons why she was so bothered by Art saying that Patrick didn't love her when they were eating together at Stanford, was because she DID love him. She puts up a front, she acts like things don't bother her even when they do (is it clear that this trio need to work on their communication lol?) but she does like to show it. I think that this is also evident when her and Patrick are making out in her dorm later. I think some people think that her trying to giver him pointers on how to play better are her trying to be mean or vindictive but I also think this is a sign of how much she cares bout him. Her dad was her tennis coach, so you can imagine that she grew up in a household where oftentimes the love that was expressed was in conversations about how she played and how she could play better. And she's passionate about the sport and she has so much love for the game. For her, love and tennis are tethered in a way. The fact that she watched his games and was so eager to give him tips and pointers was evidence that she cared imo. And how that quickly turned into a fight between them is her putting up her walls, becoming defensive, most likely because she still has Art's words in the back of her head, and it bothers her.

As for Art, I feel like this could go without saying, but she married him. She married him and had a kid with him, and she didn't have to do that lol. She could've just coached him, we know that she's coached players without having a romantic relationship with them, and she did a pretty damn good job to, so she could've done the same with him. We actually get a really nice scene between them at the diner and we get a small glimpse of them beyond tennis, and you realize what it is that sees in him and why she would be interested in him romantically and not just as a coach to player.

I feel like people misconstrue her disdain and loathing that she has for them as her not loving them. She loves them and at times hates them. She tells Art in the beginning that she would do anything to be able to play again, and yet, here these two are, one who has lost his confidence and motivation for the game, and another whose laziness and carelessness prevent him from reaching his highest potential. Two people who are wasting their greatest privilege and she despises them for it.

Annnnnnd last take (I didn't expect this to be so long): Art is a snake.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love Art. I love all of these characters, and in my head they all quarantined together during covid, found a therapist, learned how to communicate and work through their issues, and are now living happily ever after with Lily, but Art is a snake as are all of them. I've seen some people excuse him trying to break Patrick and Tashi up back at Stanford, for one reason or another, and I'm not really sure why. You can love a character and/or feel sympathetic for them without erasing their wrong doings. You can admit that Art was slimy and manipulative at times and still love him, I promise. None of these characters are real and canonically all of them do pretty awful things in the movie, but you can acknowledge that and love them anyway. I think that if you look at this movie as there being a "bad guy" or a "good guy" you may have missed some things. The movie is messy, and toxic, and petty, and intoxicating, and thrilling because of the characters wrongdoings not in spite of them. And I think that's part of what makes it so fun!

Anyway, this was sooo much longer than I intended it to be lol, but I had so many thoughts I needed to get them out. I don't even know if this makes any sense but it's late and I'm going to post it anyway. If anyone has their own thoughts please please share! I'm literally obsessed with this movie, so reading people's ideas and opinions about it has been really fun

#challengers #zendaya #josh o'connor #mike faist #tashi duncan #patrick zweig #art donaldson #overall really great movie #luca guadagnino you've done it again!!

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hidden-poet · 4 months

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I saw a bunch of quotes from the book and this boys inner monologue is truly terrifying 😂

I actually wanted to ask you if you think the movie did Coriolanus character justice to the books?

So I never read the book fully, just seen lines from it. But based on what I have seen on reddit discussions, is that he is so well put together, manipulative and charming on the outside; that you could never guess how disturbing his thoughts are... I see a good number of people saying that's how it's supposed to be, because the book is from his pov, whereas the movie is from the audience pov (hence that's how others around him see him in the book). So since we don't hear his crazy ass thoughts in the movie... could you see him as an unhinged villain from the very beginning of the film without hearing his inner monologue ?

Just wanted to hear your thoughts on this 😊

I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED!

basically I think that the book and the movie were two different Coriolanus's. The movie portrayed a man who was hungry for power above all else. While the book portrayed a war-traumatized boy who was pushed and manipulated to be the President Snow we come to recognize.

The movie deliberately portrayed him as a someone to root for. They wanted him to be likable, and they wanted you to sympathize with him. It was something that the book never allowed the reader to do.

This is perfectly encapsulated right from the first scene.

In the movie it opens upon An anxious looking Coriolanus with the weight of his father in his hands (the compass) surrounded by rats. He is very much imaged to be the leader and provider of the Snow house (despite Tigress doing it all).

This image of 'the man of the house' is continued throughout the first scene. He denies breakfast on his big day saying "save it for grandma'am". Offers to spend on prize money on "a new dress" and "chocolate" . Not wanting his Grandma'am to waste a flower on him. all these character building blocks were absent from the book.

We see a hard working poor man who has toiled for the best grades to get the money to support his family. Only for it to be ripped away from him at the last second with the announcement of the mentoring project. The audience will now give more leeway in his decisions to cheat.

He is shown to be very loving and supportive of his family. You want him to get the plinth prize whatever the means over the boy shown in the book.

Because the boy in the book only worries about himself. He has two breakfasts and then eats at the school. He is upset with his Grandma'am because she punctures his hand while giving him the rose. He is upset with Tigress because his shirt is missing. He was upset of the thought of her 'selling herself' for him, not because she's his cousin but because it would sully the name of Snow. The name he carried. The boy goes to goes to school well knowing that at the end of the day he would be a mentor.

And that is all JUST in the opening scenes.

They are so many other scenes that push movie Coriolanus into a typical masculine anti-hero to make him more appealing to the audience.

The majority of thoughts that were running through book Coriolanus could not have been present during the actions of movie Coriolanus.

In both the movie and the book Coriolanus shared the charming, and manipulative qualities, but they come off differently.

Book Coriolanus manipulatives people by kissing their ass basically. Movie Coriolanus is shown to be a lot stronger. He manipulates by being a smooth talker.

By making movie Coriolanus into this likeable anti-hero, the film makers greatly diminished both Lucy-grey, and Sejanus characters!!!

They come at a cost to his character development which was a peeve of mine.

Tom Bylth also played a huge role in deviating from the book material. Tom Bylth is handsome (and girls like fictional bad men) yes but so is Coriolanus in the book. Moreover, Tom Bylth played Coriolanus with a gentleness that should have been selfishness.

We often see him in the film reaching out and giving soft hot gazes to people. We see him lay a protective hand on Lucy-grey during the bombing of the area and push Sejanus in front of him while running from Bobbin in the arena. These actions are not indicative of book Coriolanus inner monologue.

Their desires are also greatly different. In the book we only ever hear someone call him 'president snow' mockingly. In fact, he even says himself says he only wanted a paper-pushing job that pays well. It wasn't until Dr Gaul at the end, that we see a real motive to be president of panem. In the movie we see a real hunger to always be at the top.

Book Coriolanus was a pathic and cowardly boy. And in fairness I don't think that the movie would have been nearly as successful if they had followed that route.

That was a long tangent but to summarize your questions;

Did the movie character do justice to the book?

Lawrence's portrayal of Snow was excellent, but nothing like the book.

Did he do the character Coriolanus Snow justice- yes.

Did he do Suzanne Collins Coriolanus Snow justice-no.

Could you see a unhinged villain at the start of the movie without his monologue?

No. And we weren't suppose to.

#coriolanus snow #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #hunger games #tom blyth #president snow

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lyledebeast · 9 months

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One aspect of Gladiator that has stuck with me since my rewatch earlier this month and through subsequent discussions with @malicious-compliance-esq is how well the opposition of the hero and villain works. Part of the reason, ironically, is how much they have in common. Maximus and Commodus are not only both Roman men. they are both sons of Marcus Aurelius, which allows comparison from multiple points of view within the story: Marcus himself, Lucilla, and the Roman people collectively. Commodus references the list of Roman Virtues his father wrote to him about, confessing that he has none of them. Marcus agrees, describing Commodus as "not a moral man" and telling Maximus, "You are the son I should have had." Lucilla tells Maximus that she is terrified every hour of what Commodus will do to her and her son and that "The only time I ever felt safe was with you." The more Maximus defies Commodus as a gladiator, the more the people love him. Their proximity is used to highlight their opposing traits, making for clear, clean, simple, effective storytelling.

The Patriot's opposition of Benjamin Martin and William Tavington is far murkier. One reason is the jingoism that lies in the film's framing of difference in terms of binary opposition. The British and American Patriot characters are on opposing sides in a war but are more alike than different. They share the same language, religion, even military customs as we see when Martin attempts to school Tavington on the rules of war. Martin is himself a former officer of a Colonial British regiment. A slightly more effective, but still questionable binary the film sets up is gentleman/rustic. Cornwallis extolls the virtues of "gentleman in command" to both lead and restrain their men and is mortified at the end of the film to find himself defeated by an army of "peasants." Martin, however, manages to be both at the same time. He is equally comfortable in a rowdy tavern and an assembly of South Carolina landowners, or even a meeting with a British general: a man for all seasons. When Gabriel has reservations about the men his father has recruited, Martin says. "They're exactly the sort of men we need. They've fought this kind of war before." He is not referring to their uncouth appearance and manners but the ferocity and unconventional approach to warfare that made them effective guerilla fighters. Who else has these traits?

Though Cornwallis describes Tavington as coming from an esteemed family, his fellow officers clearly do not recognize him as a peer. We see this when he arrives at a gathering with blood on his cravat from the battle the British just won and they look at him like he forgot to wear pink on Wednesday. Cornwallis reprimands him for executing surrendering enemy soldiers, the same thing Martin forbids his men from doing (also after it's too late to stop them). While Martin being neither gentleman nor rustic but somehow both at once wins him the respect of both sides, the traits Tavington shares in common with rustics make him a pariah among gentlemen, but this is less a difference between the two men than between British and Patriot values. That Martin and Tavington both collapse this binary means not only are they more alike than different, but they have more in common with each other than either one has with anyone on his own side.

No one in the film can comment on this similarity because no one has enough proximity to Martin and Tavington to notice it. The focus of the few scenes they share is on a third binary the film attempts to construct: child killer/father. Again, these things are not opposites. For one, the two are not mutually exclusive. Whether through intent, accident, or negligence, fathers are regularly responsible for the deaths of their own children. The opposite of a child killer would be a child protector. Does Martin fit the bill? Well, let's see. In the scenes immediately following Tavington's murder of his son Thomas, he abandons his youngest children in a field by his burning house, orders his next youngest sons to shoot British officers, and when the son he did all this to free is used as a human shield, Martin throws a tomahawk at his head to take out his captor. The only scene where Martin may be said to protect his children comes when he lures the Green Dragoons away from the burning plantation. However, the dragoons are only there in the first place because Martin blew his cover at Fort Carolina to save his captured men. The majority of Martin's children survive his negligence, but those of his men are not so lucky. He has no qualms about both making them targets of British aggression and eliminating their main source of protection from that aggression by recruiting their fathers. So much for "I am a parent; I can't afford principles."

Gladiator's comparison of Maximus and Commodus is effective because they are judged by the same standard: Maximus meets, even exceeds it, while Commodus does not. The Patriot, however, applies very different standards to strikingly similar characters. All of Tavington's reprehensible choices are made with an end goal of British victory, yet neither he nor anyone else can imagine a future for him in England in which those choices are not harshly condemned. Meanwhile, Martin's past war crimes and more recent abandonment/endangerment of his children are presented asforgivable, even laudable, because of the results he achieves. "The honor is in the ends, not the means," or something like that.

#gladiator 2000 #the patriot #general maximus #emperor commodus #benjamin martin #william tavington #the villain and hero two-step once again #villain discourse #2000 what a crazy year

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anonil88 · 11 months

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I see the gays are going to loose their minds over Jasmin's public journey with queerness. And some of you are sounding a lil too much like Afterellen writers.

To yall and to anyone who feels the same as her might i suggest this interview:

youtube

Or any of these links / books. which i'm using good reads links so you can see the triggers or content warnings to not be blind sided.

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg (good reads link but you can find the book for free) tw assault, this is not a book for minors

Zami by Audre Lorde (good reads)

My Gender Workbook (good reads) and Gender Outlaws: both the original and the 2010 version by Kate Bornstein

This SLATE article from 2015 (slate article) (wayback in case that link breaks)

These reddit posts with a valley of insight in the comments from older much older queer, gay, and lesbian people: Thread 1 Thread 2

A study done in 2009

Bodies in Relation—Bodies in Transition (article here)

Youtube videos and maybe a documentary

Queer Theory 101- Part 1- An open discussion with Ben Bateman- 30 min and there are 2 parts (go to youtube)

Brief Lecture Introducing Concepts of Queer Theory with Professor Matt Alberhasky- 10 min (go to youtube)

Judith Butler explaining Gender Theory- 13 min (youtube) and their book Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (good reads): and i will quote them here "Stumbling is a part of learning and making an error is a part of learning." & "Many people who refuse to allow trans people to define themselves is that they feel their own self definition is destabilized."

The Aggressives (free tubi link but you can arrgh matey it if you try hard enough) , a 2005 documentary, directed by Eric Daniel Peddle. An insightful exposé on the subculture of masculine presenting POC and their "femme" counterparts. Filmed over five years in NYC, the featured subjects share their dreams, secrets and deepest fears. Some of the AGs in this video identify as trans men, non binary, or bi now but all of their experiences are valid.

And if you were wondering yes, yes i do love researching and having references. Its fun.

This might be shocking but there are older lesbians and i am talking the most butch blue collar trades dyke with silver strands who have done way more things that would make some of y'all squeem because its not within this very linear view of what some people view should be everyone's exact labeled experience should be. And yes they still fully identify as lesbians and are in very long term commited lesbian relationships their past has just been a lot. No two people are the same and many people will have a definition similar to you but an entirely different and layered experience. This also includes experiences and journeys with labels that you are going to feel uncomfortable with if they open up about the journey that it took them on to get to the same label you use. I tend to say that is for thee does not have to be for me. Sometimes the moments of others journey albeit will be cringey to you and others but they aren't directly harmful to you and your experience. No matter what we will all still be hit on by people and certain demographics that we do not want to be hit on, because they do not care. Tearing apart your communities in person and online over drivel and people just on their journey whilst learning does nothing for us when that is what those in opposition are banking on. Now unclench and breathe.

#my thoughts #queer #jasmin savoy brown #look at these books aren't they neat #queer theory #resources #lesbian #bisexual #trans #gay #queer history #book suggestions #references #Youtube

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 5 months

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By: Susan Kelley

Published: May 2, 2018

Colleges and universities across the country are struggling with the question of who decides what is acceptable speech on campus. When does a controversial topic become hate speech? When should it be allowed as free speech?

Two Cornell researchers say psychological science’s extensive study of bias offers an important lens through which to view these conflicts, as we strive to understand and reduce them.

There is no alternative to free speech, say co-authors Stephen Ceci and Wendy Williams in “Who Decides What Is Acceptable Speech on Campus? Why Restricting Free Speech Is Not the Answer.” Their analysis appeared May 2 in Perspectives in Psychological Science as the lead article in the issue.

“There is no alternative to free speech, because every controversial topic has a substantial group of people who view it as hate speech,” said Ceci, the Helen L. Carr Professor of Developmental Psychology. “If we define unacceptable speech in terms of topics students say should be banned because they make them feel marginalized or uncomfortable, then we remove all controversial topics from consideration.”

Added Williams, professor of human development: “Feeling discomfort and angst at hearing words is not a legal reason to shut down other people’s rights to say those things.”

Since the 1950s, psychological science has demonstrated that many types of bias can prevent opposing sides from accepting the validity of each other’s arguments, the authors say.

Selective perception makes opponents on an issue literally see things differently. In 1954, researchers showed a film of a 1951 football game – Princeton versus Dartmouth, well-known for its competitive, rough play – to two groups: one of Princeton fans and the other of Dartmouth boosters. Each team’s supporters saw the majority of flagrant violations as having been committed by opposing players.

For people with selective bias, “it’s not just that they interpret their perceptions differently; they actually see different things,” Ceci said.

In “myside” bias, people look for evidence that supports their opinions and ignore or downgrade evidence that contradicts them. “Blind-spot bias comes from deep identification with a cause. We believe we are especially enlightened, while our opponents’ affiliation with the opposite side leads them to be biased,” Ceci said. Similarly, naïve realism makes people feel their views are grounded in reality but their opponents’ are not.

These and many other biases explain why a sizable percentage of students favor banning nearly every controversial topic, the authors said.

For example, a Cato Institute survey of 3,000 Americans with university experience found:

40 percent would ban a speaker who says men on average are better than women at math;

51 percent would ban claims that all white people are racist;

49 percent would ban statements that Christians are backward and brainwashed;

49 percent would ban speech that criticizes police;

41 percent would ban speakers who say undocumented immigrants should be deported;

74 percent said universities should cancel speakers if students threaten violent protest;

19 percent said violence is justified to stifle speakers who might make others uncomfortable;

and 51 percent said it was OK to prevent others from hearing a speaker.

“In such a climate, the heckler’s veto reigns supreme and any expression that is offensive to any subgroup on campus would be banned,” Williams said.

College experiences should involve challenging our beliefs, even when those experiences go beyond our comfort level, and no campus group has the right to determine for the entire community what can be discussed, the authors said.

Universities can take several steps to help students avoid the biases that prevent them from valuing other points of view and to reduce extremist views and confrontations, they said.

Just as colleges require that freshmen understand codes of conduct for sexual harassment, plagiarism and intoxication, they could require freshmen to understand the differences between free speech and hate speech, between First Amendment protections and speech codes, and the meaning of “evidence.”

Role-playing exercises could be woven into controversial seminars in which supporters of each side are asked to switch sides. And universities could organize civil debates on controversial topics.

Students should be made to understand they are entering a place that believes deeply in the importance of dialogue and free speech, Ceci said.

“Free speech isn’t just for opinions that we all share. That kind of speech doesn’t need protecting,” he said. “It’s for expressions that can be vile and hateful and disgusting. That has to be part of the cultural understanding.”

#Susan Kelley #Cornell University #free speech #freedom of speech #academic freedom #academic integrity #censorship #speech codes #hate speech #religion is a mental illness

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latenightcinephile · 5 days

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Film #917: 'The Cool World', dir. Shirley Clarke, 1963.

For all intents and purposes, Shirley Clarke's landmark film about youth gangs in Harlem, The Cool World, is considered a lost film. It was produced by the famous documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman, and when Clarke died in 1997, the rights went to Wiseman. Despite Milestone Films embarking on an eight-year project to restore and make available as many of Clarke's films as possible, Wiseman has never allowed The Cool World to be included in this series or any other. For over twenty years, the only way to see this film is to have been fortunate enough to see it at a film festival, arts show screening, or touring gallery event.

Or, hypothetically, you could find a copy ripped from a screening on German broadcast television, with the German subtitles hard-coded into the bottom of the screen, uploaded to a website you've never heard of before. This particular hypothetical uploader has made it their pastime, evidently, to track key black films from the 1960s and 1970s, and make them available to whoever wants to see them. So it could be possible to watch the film, after all. And if you did, you'd likely find that it is an amazing piece of filmmaking. And you'd likely be a little mad at Frederick Wiseman.

In 1960s Harlem, Duke (Hampton Clanton) is looking to rise through the ranks of his local gang, the Royal Pythons. Convinced that if he gets his hands on a gun, he will be a man to be feared and respected, he makes the acquaintance of a pimp and racketeer named Priest (Carl Lee). Duke's relationship with his mother, who clearly cares for him but finds him difficult to communicate with, declines, and when the Pythons take over an apartment to set up their base, Duke practically lives there full-time. The gang's current president, Blood, brings his girlfriend Luanne to stay in the apartment as the gang's resident prostitute. Luanne becomes sweet on Duke quickly, and she privately supports Duke's aspirations.Duke continues to try and save enough money to buy a gun from Priest by selling cigarettes and occasionally stealing. In his travels around Harlem, he is often witness to discussions about the future prospects of black men in society, and the tactics of the civil rights movement.

Blood is revealed to be a heroin addict, which is against the rules of the Royal Pythons, and he is ousted, with Duke taking his position. Blood challenges Duke to a fight, but the scene is interrupted by the news that Littleman, another member of the Pythons, has been killed by the Wolves, a rival gang. Duke decides to lead a rumble against the Wolves which will take place several nights afterwards. In the meantime, he takes Luanne on a date to Coney Island so she can see the ocean, but she disappears during the date and Duke returns to the gang's headquarters broken-hearted. The night of the rumble, Priest arrives, asking if he can lay low there for a few days, but does not explain the type of trouble he's in. Duke leads the rest of the gang in the fight, during which several members of both gangs are killed, but Duke manages to successfully kill the leader of the Wolves. Coming back to the headquarters, he discovers that Priest has been shot in the head, with the scene posed to make it look like a suicide. Frightened, Duke flees to his old home, but is arrested and taken away. As the credits roll, the soundtrack is filled with voices approvingly remarking on what a "cold killer" Duke is.

It should be noted that, while the version of the film I've seen does feel pretty complete, it does run for 15 minutes shorter than what several sources claim the film to be, and of course I have no other version to compare it to.

There is a valid criticism to be made of The Cool World, which is that it's a black story told by a white director and adapted from a novel by a white author. This criticism is not just a modern phenomenon: several reviews at the film's release, most notably the Los Angeles Times, observed that this type of story was better told by black writers and directors. That said, Clarke's empathy and engagement with the film's subjects is not in doubt. Films about youth crime were usually relegated to the 'moral panic' genre, as a problem that needed to be solved, and as a scaremongering tactic for prurient middle-class audiences. While Duke is arrested at the film's end, the film doesn't pass judgment on the validity of Duke's beliefs or ends. He thinks that a gun will get him power, and he is correct. Clarke presents a remarkably even-handed version of life in a New York youth gang, where violence is abrupt and meaningless, most crime is petty and interspersed with days of just roaming aimlessly, and arrest is likely but doesn't undo the status you've acquired.

Supporting this view throughout the film is the comparative sterility of the world outside the gang. While the life of the Royal Pythons isn't always interesting, it is a space of care and connection between its members, and the film's narrative pulls these details to the foreground. Duke brings Littleman comic books; Luanne wants to go to San Francisco to see the ocean and is enthralled when Duke tells her that they have an ocean in New York City too. Even in one of the most fraught scenes, where Duke ousts Blood as the gang's leader, Clarke fills the film with moments of silence where you can sense the uncertainty of the characters as they calculate the effects of their actions. In comparison, the school trip from which Duke flees at the start of the film is full of libraries and stock exchanges, a world that has no meaning or relevance to the lives of the black teenagers. They will never stay at the Plaza Hotel, the film says, so what's the point in showing it to them?

Likewise, Duke's mother has a life overstuffed with worries and concerns, and while she is anxious for Duke's future, his seeming apathy breeds resentment in her. He is making her life harder. A film with a strong moralising bent would suggest that Duke's interest in the Pythons is an indictment of his mother's failure, and an indictment of the absence of his father. In other words, it would normally be presented as a failure of the individuals to place themselves correctly. There is none of this in The Cool World. Duke simply moves from one set of social structures that have no meaningful space for him to another set of social structures that give him what he wants. Whether he should want that, or whether there are better paths for him to take, is ultimately irrelevant. Of course, it's not ideal that the world Duke lives in offers him no better alternatives, but Clarke's film is not interested in blaming Duke for that, and builds from the underlying premise that Duke is a sensitive, creative and capable young man who is doing the best he can with the lot he has been given.

One thing that is consistently remarked upon about The Cool World is its visual style. Clarke's director of photography, Baird Bryant, imbues every available shot with unexpected kinetic energy - even the school trip at the beginning of the film is shot from the window of a moving bus, with disconnected jump cuts, and the open credits roll right-to-left instead of bottom-to-top, against an almost Expressionist backdrop of sun through the trees. The rumble between the Pythons and the Wolves at the end of the film is similarly surprising, shot almost exclusively in extreme light and dark, with almost no mid-tones, and featuring fight choreography that feels gritty and balletic at the same time. Throughout, a jazzy score led by Dizzy Gillespie hits the same tones as the plot, lilting when it needs to be, before abruptly breaking into discordant and shrieking solos.

In regards to the film's style, though, I think the most powerful scene is the one in which Duke and Luanne visit Coney Island together. It falls at an important moment in the relationship between the two characters - until this point, Luanne has seemed sheltered, despite her sexuality, unaware that the Atlantic Ocean even existed, and it represents how significant her relationship with Duke has been in opening her eyes to a wider world. It's easy to read her abandoning Duke as a sign that she has made an escape into this wider world that she has discovered, while Duke is unable to make the same movement.

Meanwhile, this scene represents for Duke the most traditional moment of romance for him - he has the status and he gets the girl. While the audience may not trust Luanne's faithfulness, Duke certainly does. The editing of the scene, on both a visual and an aural level, performs double duty. For Duke, the giddiness of the jump cuts and the carnivalesque score and soundtrack fits perfectly with an enthusiastic jump into young love - an escape that he has never been permitted to experience before. However, Clarke uses rhythmic and overlapping editing, linking multiple carnival games together almost seamlessly, making it appear as though Duke is caught endlessly repeating the same actions. Somewhere in this chaos, Luanne disappears, and Duke is left alone, on an eerily deserted beachfront. Her disappearance is so complete that she leaves no trace behind on the narrative. It's as though she was never really there at all.

The Coney Island scene, more than any other in this brilliant and engaging film, makes me annoyed that Wiseman has never allowed it to be released to a wider public. I would love to be able to link to a video of the scene so that it can be appreciated as an excellent example of film editing. I would show this scene to first-year students if I could. I genuinely cannot understand why Clarke's most distinguished and successful film is being kept away from a wider appreciation. Milestone Films had a petition for a while, asking Wiseman to make the film available, but it was never successful, and I doubt a polite email would stand a chance of convincing a 94-year-old master documentarian to change his mind.

Maybe I will see The Cool World on the big screen one day, and find out once and for all if I've been writing about the film's full version. I'm not usually in the habit of encouraging people to go out of their way to pirate - I am a fan of supporting media producers where I can - but this might be your only chance to see an excellent film, if it appeals to you at all. The internet is an ephemeral place, where some things live forever but other things disappear before you realise what they were. The Cool World is one of the latter. I waited twenty years to see it, and it was worth the wait.

#1001 movies #shirley clarke #the cool world #lost media

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laf-outloud · 1 year

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I know this has been discussed before, but it’s interesting enough to me to be worth repeating . . .

The recent photos of Jared and Gen posing with others at the stem cell treatment facility as well as the photo of Jared and Gen at the coffee house chatting with the two women, leads me to believe that 1) the Padaleckis are down-to-earth enough that they venture out-and-about into the masses to live their lives; 2) the Padaleckis are famous enough (at least in their hometown of Austin) that they are recognized by people that they don’t know personally; 3) the Padaleckis are welcoming enough in their demeanor that people feel comfortable approaching them; and 4) the Padaleckis are human enough that they will engage with the common folk and pose for photos. This tells me a lot about Jared and Gen and who they are as people.

I have watched SPN and been a non-participating (lurker) part of the fandom for years, including at SPN_Goss and Tumblr, so I have seen a lot. I am not on FB, Instagram or Twitter, and I don’t follow any of the cast. I only see what’s posted on fan sites on Tumblr (some of which are admittedly anti-Jensen), so someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think there are often similar sitings and interactions with the Ackles. This leads me to think that 1) the Ackles are not out-and-about as often; 2) the Ackles are not recognizable when/if they are out; 3) the Ackles are not as approachable if they are recognized; and 4) if the Ackles are approachable and engage, they may not consent to a photo or they may ask the person not to post the photo on social media. The only other reason I can come up with is that maybe people just don’t care, but I know that won’t go over well with the AAs.

This is just something that occurs to me every time I see a photo with Jared (and Gen) and a fan out in the wild. I love that he isn’t afraid to engage with people and I love that people always post about how kind and friendly he is. It does make me wonder about the comparisons between the two men though. Perhaps Jensen just isn’t as recognizable and famous as his super-fans think he is and perhaps Jared, with his more mainstream TV and film career, is.

I think there's a lot of truth in your observations. Thanks for sharing! To your question, I do follow some people who post Jensen and Jared fan interactions, and you're right that there are certainly more fan photos with Jared. Jensen content tends to come more from people he's worked with as opposed to fans out on the street.

There are definitely some interesting comparisons into how each couple handles recognition/fan interactions. Of course, I'm not going to say one way is better than the other as every celebrity should be allowed to interact within their comfort level. (And frankly, seeing how obsessed some of Jensen's fans are, I don't blame him for staying under the radar.) I do appreciate Jared and Gen's willingness to interact with fans and I hope someday I can meet them!

"Perhaps Jensen just isn’t as recognizable and famous as his super-fans think he is and perhaps Jared, with his more mainstream TV and film career, is."

It's unsurprising how many comments I saw on photos from Jared's USO tour that mentioned different shows Jared's been on, including Gilmore Girls, SPN, Walker, Friday the 13th and House of Wax. It helps that GG and SPN frequently make the weekly top 20 of streaming shows. Jared is very recognizable despite looking nothing like his teenage self from GG!

(Surprised no one mentioned New York Minute. LOL!)

#ask box #jensen critical #just in case #ackles critical #anti aas #jared and gen's recognition #jared with fans #gen with fans #the padalecki's have also embraced austin #not surprised austin's embraced them back #also Jared's really tall and stands out in a crowd #lol!

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age-of-greta · 2 years

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The Lovers

The Lovers represent relationships and choices. Its appearance in a spread indicates some decision about an existing relationship, a temptation of the heart, or a choice of potential partners. Often an aspect of the querent's life will have to be sacrificed; a bachelor's lifestyle may be sacrificed and a relationship gaine, or one potential partner may be chosen while another is turned down. Whatever the choice, it should not be made lightly, as the ramifications will be lasting.

Author’s note: hey!! as always this fic has two parts, then and today. I proofread, but typos happen! I still plan on posting weekly, and check back on October 31st for a Halloween special chapter :) enjoy!!

Pairings: Jake x reader & Sam x reader

Warnings: cursing, alcohol, unprotected sex, oral (f receiving), adult content, slight angst

Word count: 5.7k

PART 6:

THEN:

Jake had just finished up at the studio and you had walked down the street for lunch. Jake insisted on taking you to a beer garden so you could try all of the local IPAs. When you arrived he held the door for you, and asked for the quieter booth in the back.

“I heard this place has a pretty great burger. I love burgers, it’s been hard to get to a good burger place lately because of Sam.” Jake says eyeing the menu.

You laugh at this. “Yeah trust me, I’ve heard about it. That documentary changed him.”

Jake cracked a smile. “That kid would believe the Earth was flat if you pressed him hard enough.”

“Oh Jake, you’re telling me you think the Earth is round?” You say, teasing.

He huffs a laugh. “Very funny. Speaking of Sam, have you talked to him lately?”

You snicker. “Of course. I talk to him everyday.” You look up from your menu and see Jake biting his lip a little bit. “Oh you mean have I told him about this?”

Jake looks at you for a moment.

This makes you feel a little uneasy. It’s obvious he didn’t want anyone to know about you two. Why would he? This is just a fling, he probably has many girls in many cities. You felt silly all of a sudden for thinking anything different. You know how men are and what they will say to make you feel content. Before Jake could respond you answered.

“No Jake, I have not. You’re my dirty little secret I suppose.”

He shoots you a smirk. “Well, okay then.”

You and Jake had split a flight of beers and then ordered your favorite. You both got burgers and talked for another hour after you had eaten. Conversation was easy, but you bottled up all of those feelings and pushed it aside. You were not going to allow yourself to crush on him. You couldn’t be hurt or disappointed if you held the power.

“Would you like to go see a movie with me?” Jake says, seemingly out of nowhere.

“Like in the theater?” You ask.

Jake smiles. “Yes, like in the theater. There has been a movie out I have wanted to see for sometime. I think you would enjoy it, so I would like to take you.”

You give him a nod. “Okay, but we have to get peanut m&ms.”

You and Jake had ubered to the theater. He had chosen an indie film that had a limited theater release. You were eager to see how Jake’s film taste was. You loved movies, but didn’t like film snobs. You critiqued movies often, but couldn’t stand people who thought Marvel movies were trash because they don’t have a million allegories. Jake had bought you peanut m&ms and a drink for you two to share. You two had some small talk and enjoyed discussing some of the previews for other movies. However once the movie started he did not talk, which made you happy as you hated rude people in movies. Jake’s hand found its way on your thigh and didn’t move throughout the entirety of the film. Occasionally he would rub his thumb across your thigh, you tried not to think about it.

After the movie you and Jake had decided to go back to your apartment. The discussion of the film brought up many conversations about your favorite media. You both decided to show each other your favorite shows that most people didn’t watch. You had just walked into your apartment and excused yourself to change while Jake ordered Chinese food. You had decided on a comfortable yet cute lounge set. It was a black ribbed knit set, the top was cropped and the shorts came a little above mid-thigh. You wrapped a blue-green flannel on top and threw on white long socks with it. You sprayed on some body spray and fluffed your hair before heading back out to the living room.

“I hope you like general tso’s- oh wow don’t you look cute.” Jake says walking towards you. He pulls you into an embrace and kisses your neck lightly.

“That sounds good to me. Shall we have a beer?” You say looking up at him.

“Always.” He says smiling at you.

You walk off into the kitchen and grab you two a drink before joining Jake in the living room. He has the remote in hand scrolling through Netflix before choosing his favorite episode of Breaking Bad. You scoot close to him and his arm goes around you.

“Breaking Bad? I was Jesse Pinkman for Halloween last year. But I got really drunk and just yelled bitch after every sentence.” You say.

Jake laughs. “That’s pretty impressive, even in your inebriated state you never broke character.”

“But Jake I wouldn’t call this a show no one watches. I think a ton of people have seen this.” You say sipping your drink.

Jake grins. “Yes you’re absolutely correct, but this specific episode foreshadows so much. It’s so cleverly written that most people don’t understand what they’re viewing unless explained.”

You sigh. “Well I do like a challenge. Click play.”

Right as the episode had ended your take-out arrived. You and Jake sat on your couch and stuffed your face while discussing the episode you had just watched. But then the conversation went beyond that and you were talking about anything and everything.

“Jake, how do you not like The Wizard of Oz?” You say giggling at him.

He throws up his hands. “That shit is so creepy. Have you seen all of the stories and horror that went on behind the scenes?”

“Isn’t that the whole industry? In the Hollywood of hell.” You reply.

He shakes his head. “I like that you put it that way, but I don’t think the industry is built on orgies. Well actually you may be right.”

You laugh at him. “See? I’ll be right back, I’m going to start putting all of this away.” You motion towards your leftovers.

Jake immediately jumps up to help. He collects all of the trash while you put the leftovers in the fridge. You walk to the sink and rinse your forks when you feel hands wrap around your hips. Jake lightly kisses your cheek.

“You know you could have picked a better dinner for tonight. I mean pumping me full of Chinese food and beer before touching me doesn’t seem like the sexiest situation.” You say turning around to him.

Jake smiles down at you. “You have never looked more beautiful than you do right now at this moment.”

He reaches his hand out and drags his thumb across your jaw. “Besides, nothing has to happen that you do not want. There are no expectations here. I’m perfectly content spending the rest of the night convincing you how awful The Wizard of Oz is.” He says through a laugh.

You chuckle at him. “Well then I guess I’ll have to kiss you just to shut you up about it.”

You lean forward and Jake flicks his gaze between your eyes and lips before he leans in as well. As soon as your lips meet you feel your lips start to tingle. Jake kisses you deeply, running his hands up and down your hips. You feel light as air in this moment, and kissing Jake is beyond heavenly. You lightly pull away and look up at Jake. His face is flushed and his lips are swollen, you can imagine you look similarly. You take his hand and lead him towards your bedroom. Jake eagerly follows you and connects your lips as soon as you make it to your room. You start to unbutton his shirt as he tugs your flannel off of you. His hands roam your body and he gives your ass a light squeeze which elicits a low moan from you. Jake throws his shirt to the ground and you run your hands over his smooth back before slowly starting to undo his belt. He starts tugging at your shorts before stopping and looking at you.

Breathlessly he asks you, “Are you sure?”

You look straight in his eyes and nod your head.

“Words baby. I need your words.” He says as he cups your face.

“Yes Jake, I am beyond sure. Are you?” You respond.

He lets out a light laugh. “I have never been more sure of anything before angel.”

With that he is finishing undoing his pants and you slip off your shorts and socks. You turn around and walk to the bed giving him a nice view of your ass and your cheeky black panties.

“Goddamn.” You hear Jake say as you sit on the bed and lean back. He is down to just his boxers now. He walks towards you and continues to kiss you as he climbs on top of you. He starts kissing your jaw and down your neck before making his descent. He slips your top off and exposes your breasts. Jake kisses between them before cupping them and kissing your nipples.

“Fuck you’re so perfect.” Jake says in between kisses.

You throw your head back and enjoy the attention that your whole body is getting. He runs his fingers down below your navel before his mouth follows. He takes two fingers and lightly runs them over your clothed heat. You are positively soaked. Jake takes both of his hands and pulls your panties down leaving you fully exposed. He starts kissing the outside of your thighs before diving right in. When his tongue meets your clit you let out a moan and arch your back into the bed. He is lapping at your center and then takes a finger and plunges it in. You’re on cloud 9, and you’re already close. The next few minutes are full of obscene sounds, from the both of you. You are so turned on and overstimulated that when you look down and see Jake devouring you it’s enough to push you over the edge. You grip his hair and ride out your orgasm before coming back down. Once Jake is satisfied watching the show he had just created he climbs back on you and kisses you hard. You can taste yourself on him and it’s so fucking hot. He pulls his boxers off and looks right at you before teasing his head at your entrance. You moan into his mouth and he slowly slides inside of you. He lets out a sharp breath and picks up his pace. He kisses and lightly bites your neck while he’s pumping inside of you. You run your fingers down to your clit while he’s fucking you.

“Fuck Jake.” You moan out.

This makes him moan too. You look up at him and he has never looked hotter. You can tell he’s getting close because his eyes are rolling back. He has a light sheen of sweat glistening on his whole upper body. His hair is messy and sticking to his face. You wish you could take a picture of him at this moment. Jake grabs one of your legs and throws it over his shoulder, this allows him to go deeper and you’re starting to feel that familiar ache in your core again.

“Fuck angel you’re so good. Fuck I’ve never had anything better. Look at you, touching yourself like a good girl.” Jake praises.

Hearing this alone makes you shudder. Jake looks down at you and takes his free hand and runs his thumb over your lip. You look up into his eyes before opening your mouth and sucking on it. He starts fucking you even harder and his strokes are becoming sloppy now. You can feel yourself coming undone too.

“Jake I’m about to cum.” You moan out.

“Ah fuck please cum for me.” He says in between thrusts. Then you clench around him so tight as your orgasm runs through you. It’s not as intense as the first but it’s still phenomenal. Then you hear Jake moan as he releases inside of you. You are both panting and trying to catch your breath when Jake leans down and softly kisses you.

“Jake, that was-“ you start.

“Fucking incredible.” He finishes. “Also I’m so sorry for not pulling out, I should have asked first. I’m going to run to CVS and get a Plan B.”

You laugh a little bit. “That’s not necessary, I’m on the pill.”

He sighs a little relieved. “Okay but I am sorry. I should have asked you before doing that, I just got so caught up in the moment.”

You turn to face him. “Hey it’s okay. Seriously, it’s no big deal.”

He kisses your nose before getting up. “Stay there. Where do you keep your washcloths?”

The rest of the night you and Jake spent in bed cuddling, kissing, and talking. Neither one of you slept. At around 8 you had both gotten up and heated up your leftovers. You only wore a large shirt and Jake was only in his boxers. His flight was at 4, which means he needed to be there around 2. You were subconsciously aware of the time fleeting before you. You were sad that he was leaving. This weekend had been a whirlwind, and Jake was your new addiction. You knew he would be hard to kick, but you would never let him know that.

“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep before your flight? You’re going to be exhausted.” You say.

He gives you a light smile and reaches out to touch your face. “No, I can sleep on the flight. I intend on making the most out of the rest of my time with you. I do need a shower though, and I wouldn’t be opposed to company.”

After you had both showered together you lounged around in towels for a little while before getting dressed. You chose to keep it casual, throwing on a pair of mom jeans with a black tank top and your docs. You dried your hair and let it stay naturally wavy today, you did some light makeup, and sprayed yourself with perfume. You threw on some earrings, necklaces, and sunglasses and you were ready. Jake had packed his suitcase and wore jeans, a light button down- only half buttoned, and his vans. He had his sunglasses around his neck. You had decided you wanted to go to lunch before you dropped him off at the airport later.

Jake sighed, looking around with his suitcase in hand. “I’m going to miss this place.”

You grinned at him. “You can always come back.”

“You know I will.” Jake said, walking towards the door and taking your hand. You grabbed your purse and keys then you two were off.

You had arrived at your lunch spot and were sitting at a booth with Jake. On the way there Sam had tried to call you, but you didn’t answer not really knowing what to say. You had assumed Jake didn’t tell them he was staying with you. This made you feel like this was even more of a secret. The waitress came and Jake ordered the salmon, while you got a large Greek salad. You had both gotten water, which seemed like a rare occurrence for you two.

“So I was thinking.” Jake began. “Your classes start next week, correct?”

“Yes that’s correct.” You say.

“You work then, but at the end of summer you have a week before your fall classes- and you’re off?” He asks.

“Yes, sort of. My uncle insisted I didn’t work away my whole summer so the last two weeks he gave me off. One week to study for finals, one week to vacation. But I don’t have anything really planned.” You say sipping your water.

Jake smiles at you. “Perfect. I would like for you to come to Detroit. We rented a house for the whole summer, and I know everyone would love to see you.”

You’re a little taken aback. How would that work? Jake inviting you to stay? What would Sam think? What would that mean for you and Jake? You try to get the guts to ask Jake all of this, but you fail. So you put on a brave face and nod your head. “Okay yeah. I can mention it to Sam and make it seem like it’s my idea.” You say cautiously.

Jake furrows his brows slightly before saying. “Okay, that works I guess. Sam will be absolutely delighted.”

You had both finished lunch and were just sitting and talking at your table. You knew it would be time to leave for the airport soon and you didn’t want to say goodbye. Especially knowing you wouldn’t see him again for almost two months. Eventually you two had gotten up and headed to your car for the dreaded ride. Jake kept his hand on your thigh the whole drive there.

“I want you to know I had a really good time with you this weekend.” Jake said as you approached the drop off point.

You parked your car and looked over at him trying not to look sad. “Yeah, I did too.”

Jake squeezed your thigh. “You’re a special person to me and I mean that.”

You smiled at him, but didn’t know how to respond to that.

Jake cupped your face and leaned in to kiss you. He kissed you slow and sweet, with passion. Then pressed his forehead against yours before saying goodbye. He grabbed his bags and exited your car. He turned around and waved, then he was gone.

TODAY:

You had woken up the next morning with Jake wrapped around you. You had cotton mouth and wanted to shower. You slipped out of bed and took a quick shower, then wrapped yourself in a towel before brushing your teeth. You blew out your hair and did skincare because you knew eventually you would do something today. When you were applying your makeup Jake walked in.

“Good morning angel.” Jake said as he kissed your cheek.

“Good morning Jake. How did you sleep?” You asked him, handing him his toothbrush.

Jake laughed. “Like a fucking brick.”

You flashed him a smile. “Yeah I gathered that. So what’s on the itinerary today?”

“Today is just a me and you day until dinner.” Jake said with toothpaste in his mouth.

You smiled at that. “Interesting, I will be ready soon.”

You kissed his cheek before going to your suitcase to find an outfit. You ended up going with a white turtleneck sweater tucked into a black and white houndstooth skirt with mid calf black chunky boots. You put on your gold hoops and layered necklaces then sprayed yourself with perfume. Jake came out of the bathroom with wet hair and a towel wrapped around his waist.

“You look absolutely stunning, per usual angel.” He says.

You shake your head at him. “You’re too kind to me. I’ll meet you downstairs.” You say as you leave the room. When you make it downstairs Sam is still asleep on the couch, you laugh at the scene. Josh is sitting at the island with coffee so you join him.

“Well good morning mama, you look nice.” Josh says.

“Why thank you Joshua, so do you.” You say motioning towards his bleached sweatpants.

“Hey it takes a lot of money and time to look this good.” He says with flair.

You giggle at him. “Has he been asleep all morning?” You ask, pointing towards Sam.

“I think so. He must have gone extra hard last night.” Josh replies to you.

Just then you hear Jake approaching you, he is in his light wash blue pants with a navy button down shirt and a pair of his slip ons. He looks so cute. He puts his hand on your shoulder.

“Ready?” Jake asks.

You nod your head and get up waving bye to Josh.

“See ya later lovebirds!” He calls out as you’re walking towards the door.

Jake pauses to look at Sam and shakes his head. Then he stares directly at the peanut m&ms on the table. He looks at you curiously, but you pretend to be oblivious. You had forgotten to put them away. Why did it feel like you were hiding a secret from Jake? You and Sam had just watched a movie, should you tell him? No, you and Sam are friends, best friends, and Jake is… well Jake to you. He never said anything about it, and continued towards the door.

You two had ended up at your favorite local coffee shop for breakfast. Jake had ordered your favorite coffee and bagels and got you two a table outside.

“So” Jake starts with a mouthful of bagel. “What are the plans for Halloween this year? It’s never too early for you.”

Jake knew how much you loved Halloween. Last year you two had spent it together, you were Elvira and he was a vampire. You were with all of the guys in Nashville, bar hopping.

You smile at him. “Well Jake, I have my costume planned. Do you?”

“What, so we aren’t matching this year?” He says giving you a smirk.

“You don’t want to be original? You want to feed off of all of my creative labor?” You say teasingly.

He playfully rolls his eyes at you. “You’re such a drama queen. Come on, just tell me. I’m very curious here.”

You huff a sigh. “Fine, you have my hands tied. I’m going to be a fortune teller, but you know, like a sexy one.”

Jake chuckles at you. “Angel you could be a pillowcase for Halloween and still be sexy. But I like it, are you going to tell me my future?”

You give him a grin. “It’s all in the cards Jake.”

After breakfast Jake wouldn’t tell you where you were going, but you were delighted to see you had pulled up outside of a local bookstore. He doesn’t say a word but nods at your smile before getting out of the car. He quickly jogs to open your door before taking your hand and walking you inside.

“Okay so I had a thought. I know we won’t see each other for two weeks while we are touring in the west, so I figured we could pick out a book together and read it. Like a little book club.” He said, shrugging.

You beamed a smile at him. “I love that. Can we read something spooky?”

“Of course.” He says as he gives your hand a squeeze.

You both had stalked the aisles and talked over your choices, but you both ended up agreeing on Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. Jake bought two copies, a poetry book, and two other books for you. When you left Jake had driven you to a local park. You were confused by this because you were definitely not dressed for walking. You look at Jake curiously.

“Come on.” He says as he opens your door.

You oblige and follow him to the trunk. When he opens it there is a cooler, blankets, and pillows.

You gasp a little. “Jake, are we having a picnic? When did you even pack all of this stuff?”

“Josh isn’t always useless.” He says smirking at you and grabbing everything.

He picks a spot under a nice shady tree and lays out the blankets and pillows. He opens the cooler and grabs a bottle of champagne and two glasses. He had packed different cheeses, crackers, and fruit. This was the cutest thing you had ever seen. He popped the champagne and poured your glasses before getting all of the food set up.

“To us.” He said motioning his glass towards you.

“Cheers.” You say, clinking your glass with his. “This is so nice.”

“I figured you would enjoy this. I even intentionally did not pack any meat because of your meatless Monday.” He says pretending to be annoyed.

You laugh at him. “Oh how thoughtful of you.”

After you both ate your spread Jake sat up against the oak tree while you laid in his lap. He was slowly stroking your hair while he read you poetry from his book he had just bought.

“Here’s a good one.

One day you will ask me which is more important? My life or yours? I will say mine and you will walk away not knowing that you are my life.”

“You have always loved Khalil Gibran.” You say while Jake continues to run his fingers through your hair.

He smiles down at you. “I love that you knew it was him. You’re my smart girl.”

You giggle at this. “Yeah yeah continue on loverboy.”

You and Jake spent the next two hours laying under that oak tree reading, talking, and just enjoying being outside. Eventually you helped Jake pack up and returned to the car. It was starting to get a little dark and you knew you had to meet the guys for dinner.

“So is dinner a grand surprise too?” You asked while Jake was driving.

He lets out a small laugh. “Sort of. It’s nothing I would have picked for just us, but it will be fun.”

You couldn’t contain your laughter when you pulled up outside of an axe throwing place.

“This place sells food?” You say.

“Surprisingly yes, and more importantly it sells beer.” Jake replies unbuckling his seatbelt.

“Mhm yes beer and sharp axes. I couldn’t think of anything that pairs better.” You say as you exit the car.

“Perhaps hair dryers and bathtubs?” Jake says as he puts his arm around you and ushers you inside.

When you had gotten inside everyone else was already there. They had ubered there because they knew they would be drinking. You had two axe throwing bays and two tables in the back. Everyone already had a beer in hand.

“Okay guys before you get too sloshed I see a great opportunity for social media content.” You say pointing your phone towards them.

“I really think we should just hire you to do all PR for us mama.” Josh says, throwing his arm around you.

“I’ll call you if the whole lawyer gig doesn’t work out.” You say to him.

He laughs and continues to drink his beer.

“Okay Jake and Sam do something, I don’t know, interesting.” You say walking over to them.

“You’re one hell of a director.” Sam snickers at you.

You stick your tongue out at him. “Okay ready- action!”

Jake immediately takes the axe in his hand and pretends to shave his clean face with it. You notice how insanely attractive he looks at that moment. You pan the camera over to Sam.

“Careless. Dangerous. Weird.” Sam says making a face right at the camera.

You laugh and stop the video. “That was pure cinema right there boys.”

“Hey let’s try some axe golf!“ Danny says after taking a swig of his beer.

After countless footage, many beers, and axe throwing competitions later you were ready to eat. You had all sat at your table to signal you were ready to order.

“What exactly does one order at such a fine dining establishment?” You say mulling over the menu.

“I think the only correct answer here is a burger. It’s hard to fuck up a burger.” Jake says, keeping his eyes on the menu.

“I agree. Except we will be having two black bean burgers.” Sam says motioning towards the two of you.

Jake rolls his eyes while you laugh a little.

“Good plan Sammy.”

“I am thinking chicken wings. What pairs better than beer and wings?” Josh says.

“Josh the chicken wings you speak of is literally popcorn chicken in buffalo sauce.” You say grinning at him.

“I’m sorry to sound like Sam, but sucking flesh off a bone seems a little barbaric to even me.” Josh says, pretending to be disgusted.

Sam raises his glass to that. “Come to the light side brother.”

Josh laughs. “Oh it could be tempting. I know the ladies are impressed when you tell them you’re vegan. I sometimes wonder if you do it for the animals or if you do it for nightly companionship on the road.”

Sam’s cheeks turn bright red. Suddenly you feel like you’re going to vomit. Not at the thought of Sam and his personal life, but because never have they ever brought up “companionship” on the road in front of you. If Sam does it, surely they all have. The thought of Jake, your Jake, meeting random hookups around the world made you violently ill. But you were a masochist for pain, and had to know more about this. You breathed in a few times and took a sip of your water before saying, “Sammy I had no idea you had game like that. Is this an every city situation?”

You see Jake raise a brow at you, you don’t care.

Sam’s face remains red. “No, absolutely not. Josh is a dirty liar.”

Josh, who is obviously buzzed, laughs at this. “Oh come on little brother we know better.”

Sam huffs. “That has only happened a few times.”

You let out a fake laugh. “A few times? Come on Sammy you’re a rockstar. What’s the details?”

Sam usually tells you everything. Obviously since you and Jake became common knowledge to them your friendship slipped a little, but you still talked all the time. You get a knot in your stomach when you realize Sam never tells you about his road hookups because it could implicate Jake. He was being a good brother.

Sam was obviously uncomfortable and slightly upset by this conversation. He chugs the rest of his beer. “No details. The road can get lonely, we have all done it.”

There it was. The sentence that you never wanted to hear. In your head you knew it was happening, but you ignored it. You felt like you were going to be physically sick. On the inside your body was convulsing, and your chest seared with pain and a bottomless pit of sadness. But on the outside you remained calm, you forced a laugh even. You looked over at Jake and he was shooting Sam a death glare. Before anything else could be said your waiter arrived and began taking everyone’s order.

Your food arrived and you all ate and carried on per usual. At the table a particular discussion about craft beers came up. You half listened and nodded your head. All you could think about was what Sam had said. This is why you never allowed you and Jake to be official. This feeling, you wanted to avoid it. But in the end it was inevitable. You had decided to get a little tipsy to avoid the hole in your chest. You had ordered two mixed drinks while pushing around your blackbean burger, that on top of the wine at the picnic and two beers and you were starting to feel it. The guys had gone back to axe throwing, and you stood and watched while you nursed your vodka sprite. Jake could tell something was wrong when he touched your back and you flinched. He didn’t say anything, but kept on glancing over at you. When you finished your drink you had started to get the waiter for another, but Jake intercepted you.

“You know you have a flight tomorrow babe.” He said lowly, while placing his hand on your lower back.

You force a smile and say, “When in Nashville.” Before heading off to the bar, which was out of sight from the throwing bays.

You plopped down at an empty seat. There was a guy in a suit next to you, he smiled at you. He was young and attractive. He had black hair that was cut short and neat. He wore a fitted grey suit with a pink tie. You had thought this would be the type of guy you would end up marrying one day, due to your profession and all. You smiled back at him.

“Can we get the lady a drink?” The suit guy says waving towards the bartender.

“Vodka soda with lime please.” You say to the bartender.

“My tab.” Interjects the suit guy. He reaches his hand out to you. “I’m Ben.”

You extend your hand and flash a smile. “Y/n. Thank you for the drink Ben.”

“Yeah of course. I couldn’t allow a pretty girl like you to go thirsty. What are you getting into tonight?” Ben says, sipping his drink.

“Oh just out with friends. What about yourself?” You say crossing your legs. There isn’t much space between the bar stools, especially since you and Ben were turned towards one another.

“Same here. Needed a drink after work today.” He says.

“It’s a holiday. What a shame they put you to work.” You say, joking around.

“I sort of put myself to work. I own a finance firm.” He says, obviously feeling big telling you this. You didn’t feel like having a pissing match so you just went along with it. You had about ten minutes of conversation and Ben had ordered you another drink. You felt buzzed and were genuinely having a good conversation. He was funny. After he told you one story that had the both of you laughing he reached over and lightly placed his hand on your knee. You felt weird about this, as you had just met, but the alcohol made you brush it off. He continued on with his story.

“Can I fucking help you?” You heard a voice say from behind you. You didn’t have to turn around, you knew who it was.

“Excuse me?” Ben said looking up.

“You heard me. Get your fucking hands off of her.” Jake said tugging at your arm.

Ben removed his hand and looked at you confused.

“Let’s go. Now.” Jake said, still tugging at your arm. You shuffled by Jake’s side not even looking back at Ben.

“We’re heading out.” Jake called to the other three while continuing to basically drag you out of the door. They all looked at you both with confusion. Jake opened your door and helped you in before slamming your door shut. Neither one of you spoke on the way home.

• thanks for reading! :)

#greta van fic #greta van fleet #greta van fleet fic #jake gvf #jake kiszka #jake kiszka x reader #sam gvf #sam kiszka #sam kiszka x reader #the lovers

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warningsine · 1 month

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In September 2017, the Hollywood film industry was rocked by sexual abuse allegations against American film mogul Harvey Weinstein. It triggered the 'Me Too' movement, where women in many countries of the world used the hashtag #MeToo to highlight sexual abuse in the film industry, and elsewhere.

In Africa, the Me Too movement failed to take off. But this doesn't mean that sexual abuse doesn't exist on the continent. It just isn't spoken about publicly, says Benin documentary filmmaker Giovannia Atodjinou-Zinsou (pictured above).

"Even when you suffer, you suffer inside," Atodjinou-Zinsou told DW. "It's rare to see women who will go and say: 'Excuse me, I was raped'. Even the simple act of declaring it to the police, even when you know who your aggressor is, is already a problem because there’s a feeling of shame, of embarrassment."

Sexual abuse rife in Africa's film industry

A report released by a South African group, Sisters Working in Film and Television, found that just under two-thirds of the South African women they surveyed had been non-consensually coerced or touched at work.

Yolande Welimoum, a 27-year-old filmmaker from Cameroon, says she's regularly experienced unwanted advances from men when she's made films.

There will always be one [man] on the prowl that will tell you: 'These are the conditions for this film,'" sighed Welimoum, speaking in Senegal where she was presenting her film, Heritage, at a festival devoted to women's topics, Films Femmes Afrique (Films Women Africa).

"I've been approached by several directors who want to flirt with you, go out with you and when you refuse, you won't be part of their project," she said.

Welimoum told DW that she wouldn't let this stop her from making films that she cares about because she knows her worth. "I studied cinematography and I know that, despite the obstacles, I will make it," she said.

The obstacles are many. One common hurdle, says Atodjinou-Zinsou, the filmmaker from Benin, is the assumption that women have no place in Africa's film industry.

"People say it's a man's job and that it's the men who can stay late on a film set, it's the guys who can travel to go shoot, it's the men who can stay and edit when it's too late," she said. "You're told that it's not a woman's job: women must do a job that allows them to go and take care of the home."

Giving African women a voice

Atodjinou-Zinsou added that there is simply too much silence surrounding many issues affecting African women, not just sexual abuse: "Women's expression hasn't taken the way it should. It still needs to take off."

Her 13-minute documentary, La Maladie de la Honte, hopes to help change this. It's about obstetric fistulas – a medical condition where prolonged childbirth can rupture a hole between the vagina and the bladder or rectum which can cause a woman to leak urine or feces. The condition is so taboo that it's known as 'the illness of shame' – which is also the title of Atodjinou-Zinsou's film.

Yolande Welimoum's fictional drama, Heritage, is on another little-discussed topic: the ban on Cameroonian women inheriting the family property.

Problematically, films on women's topics by female directors often face double prejudice – meaning that financing such projects is especially difficult. As a result, females in the film industry have to work harder to tell the stories they want, said Rwandan-born filmmaker Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo.

"What men can do, you have to do but also add something more," she said. "In order for people to believe in you, you have to prove it, like twice!"

Dusabejambo was at the festival presenting her 21-minute drama, A Place for Myself about a young albino girl and how she and her mother fight back against discrimination.

At least for the moment, Dusabejambo's hard work has paid off. The festival jury rewarded her with 1 million CFA franc prize ($1,890) for best film, to help her continue telling the stories that matter on the continent.

#cinema

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not-poignant · 2 years

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I’ve been having conversations with an acquaintance of mine who’s very against taboo content. So like, I managed to swing her around to dead dove stuff in fic since fanfic doesn’t effect real life and those fics are always tagged. But she isn’t swayed on dark content in mainstream films and media. She talked to me about the Netflix movie 365 Days which had a lot of women’s groups protesting against it. It’s pretty misogynistic and glorifies sexual assault so I can see why it would be concerning that it’s one of the top streamed things on Netflix. And the show 13 reasons why was apparently linked to an increase in suicides among teens (can’t find any ironclad research for this but it did promote suicide-for-revenge-and-lulz). Basically, I’ve been an anti-censorship person for fanfic forever but idk how to feel about censoring stuff like 365 days and 13rw. The groups that would like these shows to be censored do have a point...? I’m pretty young and I never took media literacy stuff so I feel like there’s a correct opinion here I’m not able to arrive at. Could you help me out?

Okay yes, let's talk about this! (A heads up to everyone that this post will obviously include discussions about suicide, along with murder and rape). (Also fanfic does affect real life, it's just not a 1:1 'this thing caused that crime' affect).

Firstly, I want to talk about a phenomenon called suicide contagion. We've known about suicide contagion for a long time, due to a novel published in 1774 published by Goethe, called The Sorrows of Young Werther. Werther, in the book, commits suicide in a particular way, and there was a spate of suicides of a similar nature among young men when the book was released. Suicide contagion for this reason is also known as 'the Werther Effect.'

This is still very debated in academia, but one strong conclusion that academia is generally showing about suicide contagion is that it does not affect anyone who wasn't likely to commit or attempt suicide anyway, what it does is influence is the manner in which the act occurs. Sadly, hundreds of people die by suicide every day, but most of the time we're not paying attention to those people, and if all of the folks influenced by Werther had killed themselves in more 'regular' ways no one would have found that act notable beyond their loved ones.

Suicide contagion research has been around for hundreds of years in both psychology and media studies (and also all the other ologies that hang around mass media). The general consensus is that works that feature suicide or even glorify suicide should not be banned outright, but that the content should be appropriately censored (i.e. not made available to babies and children etc.) and warned for with content warnings.

Now let's get to the bulk of my actual post, which talks about this from a broader perspective.

Generally speaking, there is no single 'correct' way of looking at things, except that it's usually safe to say that the two extremes of thought around banning media content are non-nuanced and the closest to being incorrect and uneducated. The first extreme is 'no one should be allowed to make or watch this (dark) content.' There's like a billion books, articles and more on why extreme censorship/banning is bad on every level for society (especially oppressed minorities), and a simple search on 'why is banning books etc. bad' will enlighten you.

The other extreme is 'everyone all the time should be allowed to see and access all (dark) content (even toddlers and children).' Clearly this isn't a solution either, because different types of media are more safely accessed by certain demographics who are (presumably) more educated and capable of handling what they're seeing.

The second thing to address is the fact that a single media property cannot remove someone's agency over their own actions. Multiple serial killers said they were inspired by TV's Dexter series, but they're still responsible for themselves and their agency. The show didn't hypnotise them. Those killers went to jail, the TV show creators didn't, that's an appropriate and correct allocation of responsibility, especially when you factor in all of Dexter's content warnings and its rating.

The same can be said for any show provided the content is appropriately warned for. This includes documentaries about sexual assault including helpline numbers at the beginning/end of their show. It means Law & Order placing 'disturbing themes' in their content warnings. It basically gives people a chance to have informed consent before watching a show (as does reading show summaries on Wikipedia, talking to friends to vet a show before watching it, or looking at one of the countless comprehensive warning/tag sites before engaging in a show.)

No show has the power to make a mentally well person kill themselves, or rape someone, or kill someone. You need to have significant things going on in your mind and environment already for those things to even be realistically considered or triggered. If we banned shows based on the rates they may have catalysed suicide, the news would have been banned a long time ago.

Don't get me wrong, 13 Reasons Why (esp first season) was highly problematic in part because it didn't give viewers a proper and rounded chance to have an informed take on what was happening. Education, imho, is the problem more than the content itself. If you let a viewer know there's content that can trigger someone, or isn't recommended for those struggling with depression (see my next paragraph though), then they can make an informed choice, similar to epilepsy warnings at the beginnings of video games. This is similar to how old Looney Toons videos now have very clear warnings about their old racist content. Rather than erase the past, they provide context and highlight how problematic and destructive it was, but they do that through education, not banning.

We know through multiple academic studies that 13RW contributed not only to an appearance of suicide contagion, but also created less severe symptoms of depression in those who watched, fewer incidences of suicidal ideation in many people (and self-harm), a decrease in social stigma due to raising awareness among teens about the kinds of things people can experience and the mental side effects, and a better awareness of suicide risk factors (See: One Less Reason Why: Viewing of Suicide-Themed Fictional Media is Associated with Lower Depressive Symptoms in Youth by Christopher J Ferguson - I'm not linking, I'm too tired). A study that surveyed 5,400 young adults and parents found that the majority of teens found the show beneficial to watch, and that many teens reported increased positive conversations with their parents and peers because of the show. Around 63-79% actually agreed that the depiction of the suicide scene was necessary. (See, among other things, 13 Reasons Why, Perceived Norms and Reports of Mental Health-Related Behaviour Change among Adolescent and Young Adult Viewers in Four Global Regions by Michael Carter, Drew Cingel, Alexis Lauricella and Ellen Wartella - there are more studies, I'm not linking them, I'm very tired lol. But the studies exist).

Like, generally speaking, we do censor already. 13RW isn't rated as an infant friendly show. It's not screened with kid's cartoons. It's already gone through a censorship board (folks need to learn the difference between censorship and banning). What your friend is talking about is banning content outright, which I don't agree with at all. And frankly you're not going to find many people with a media studies degree who generally agrees with banning outright (they're like the anti-vaxxers of media studies, lol, because it goes against the literal science that says clearly over and over again that we choose how we negotiate our relationship to the media. Yes, there are influences, but the media is not able to put a gun in someone's hand, or give someone the motivation of becoming a literal serial killer, or make a perfectly healthy person abruptly commit suicide. Asshole dudes have tried to use 'but TV / movies / this talkshow host made me do it' when it comes to rape. They go to jail. Our agency is everything.

No one's denying that media can't be problematic (every media piece is, including the ones without perceived 'dark content'), or that it doesn't influence us (it clearly does). But banning a single show, or someone's concept of 'dark themes' they personally don't like, when others are perfectly mature enough to handle them healthily, is not a useful way to approach questionable, difficult, challenging or controversial media, or media in plain bad taste. It's also incredibly condescending to the people who can interact with it healthily, and it removes support to those who are potentially helped by that piece of media existing.

Suicide contagion is a horrible phenomenon, but all signs point to the theory that these people could be catalysed by nearly anything, and that this isn't a strong enough to reason to ban a single show, especially in light of its actual overwhelming positive effects on the majority of viewers, and the useful worldwide discussions that happened around youth suicide and mental illnesses that happened as a result.

If we were all so truly weak to media with dark themes, we'd all be rapists, killers, or would have died by now. We also would have bought every product ever advertised to us.

(I didn't even get to 365 Days but *waves vaguely* I have to go have a heart scan now and I don't have time to keep writing an essay because I can clearly talk about this forever)

#asks and answers #anti anti #purity wank #media studies and mass communications #i don't know how to tag this i used to have better tags lmao #pia on media #pia on media studies #anyway those studies do exist along with like 5 others i didn't link #they're buried beneath all the frankly moral puritanical wank dslkafjdaks about this subject #because scaremongering about a show gets more hits than good science

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